Reliability of exercise-induced ST segment changes to detect restenosis 3 months after coronary angioplasty: significance of the appearance in other leads.
Exercise-induced ST-segment changes 3 months after angioplasty sometimes may show a false-positive result. We therefore analyzed the ST changes observed during the exercise tests performed before and 3 months after angioplasty in 118 patients with single-vessel coronary artery disease. Ninety-two (78%) of the 118 patients had ST changes in the same lead before and after angioplasty, whereas the remaining 26 (22%) patients had ST changes in other leads in the postangioplasty exercise test when compared with the preangioplasty test. Restenosis was found in 44 (48%) of the 92 patients with ST changes in the same lead but in only 4 (15%) of the 26 patients with ST changes in other leads. We conclude that exercise-induced ST segment changes are not reliable markers of restenosis 3 months after angioplasty. ST segment changes observed in other leads after angioplasty may show a false-positive result when compared with the preangioplasty exercise test.
Michaelides
A P
AP
Department of Cardiology, University of Athens Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, Greece.
Dilaveris
P E
PE
Psomadaki
Z D
ZD
Aggelakas
S
S
Stefanadis
C
C
Cokkinos
D
D
Gialafos
J
J
Toutouzas
P K
PK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation; D004566:Electrodes; D005080:Exercise Test; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D015637:Gated Blood-Pool Imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results